


The One Where Tattoos Move

by jadehqknb



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Height difference, M/M, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24164353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadehqknb/pseuds/jadehqknb
Summary: “Ugh, stop it,” Hinata whispers to himself. He doesn’t like getting lost in his head, trudging through negativity. He’s usually so positive so he’s not sure why this mood won’t flit by like all the other times it shows up. He glances at his arm again and knows he’s sad because he missed his soulmate. What if they never get close enough together again? What if that was his one chance to meet them and he missed it and the toss which had Kageyama fuming at him yet again?What if—His thoughts come to a screeching halt when the flower, so still and rigid a second before, begins to twitch.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Inuoka Sou
Comments: 12
Kudos: 137
Collections: Hinata Rare Pair Week 2020





	The One Where Tattoos Move

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: **Soulmate AU / Height Difference ******

“Hey, hey! Hinata, look!” Tanaka says loudly. 

They’ve just finished losing yet another game to Nekoma when his senpai points at his arm. Hinata looks down at his forearm and gasps. The flower there, usually so tightly curled up as if hiding and protecting itself from the world, has started to unfurl. He waves his arm around erratically, gaining a scoff for his efforts. 

“That’s not how they work, dumbass,” Kageyama snips. 

Hinata is glad to note the ocean waves on Kageyama’s neck remain still, which means he’s not his soulmate (thank goodness) and the pissy setter’s either isn’t here or nearby yet. 

“I know that! I’m trying to figure out which direction to go to get closer to them!” Hinata snaps back. He returns to moving his arm around, eyes darting up and down as he watches the flower while trying to watch where he’s going but he can’t do both and runs into Asahi-san’s back. 

“Hey, you ok?” the ace asks, unperturbed by the impact and for just a moment Hinata wonders if his rival for that title is going to be his soulmate. But a glance down to his recoiled flower reveals he headed in the wrong direction. Besides, he reminds himself, if anyone on his team were his soulmate, the flower would have moved before now. 

“I’m fine, sorry, Asahi-san,” Hinata says with a bow, hurrying back in the direction from where he came. He looks down and sighs sadly. 

His flower remains closed. 

*~~*

“Inuoka, is your puppy moving?” Lev asks, leaning over him to peer at his leg. 

Ignoring the invasion of his personal space, Inuoka looks down at his thigh, bright eyes widening as he finds that, yes, his golden retriever tattoo appears to be moving. It’s slight, the barest hint of his tail twitching, but it’s the first time its ever moved and he feels a rush of excitement roll through him. 

Promptly squashed by the prospect that it’s moving because _Lev_ is nearby. But when Inuoka looks over his shoulder at the tall hybrid, he finds the vines on his hand remain stationary. 

A breath of relief whooshes out of his lungs. It’s not that he thinks Lev would be a bad soulmate, he just doesn’t think he could handle him for life. 

“Awww, he went back to sleep,” Lev says next, reaching out as if to pet the image that paints Inuoka’s skin. 

A smack to his hand makes Lev yelp. “Yaku-senpai, not so hard! I need my hands to block!”

Yaku sneers up at him. “And you need to not touch people without permission!” He pushes against the towering middle-blocker, adding, “Come on, time for receives!”

Lev whines as they make their way back to the gym and Inuoka breathes another sigh of relief at their exit, returning his attention to the consumption of his dinner. He’s a little bummed that he didn’t notice the movement of the dog at all, so used to it staying still. His eyes dart around as he chews, his mind replaying who moved close and then away in the past five minutes but it’s hopeless. 

Tired and focused on food, he didn’t notice anything around him and missed out on the chance to potentially catch a glimpse of his soulmate 

He shrugs. Oh well, at least he knows they’re here. 

He’ll just need to pay better attention in the future.

*~~*

Hinata is tired, sore and still starving even after inhaling twice his weight in food. Despite his ailments, a small part of his volleyball idiot brain still wants to run back to the gym for ‘just one more’ anything while they’re here. Training camp is going by so fast and he knows he’s improving—everyone on his team is to some degree—but he still feels like he needs _more_. 

Sawamura-san pricked his balloon of hope for more spiking practice with a sharp glare. Hinata shivers at the memory; that guy could melt ice with his eyes, he’s sure of it. 

A glance at the flower on his arm with its tightly coiled petals brings his mood down further. He wishes he’d been able to see who was near him when it had started opening but when he’s on the court, all he sees is the ball. Shaking his head, he fixes his attention to the task of getting cleaned up and into bed. He doesn’t want to incur Sawamura-san’s actual wrath for being late to lights out, though as time has gone on he’s noticed that part of their routine has grown more relaxed. 

Everyone is making connections both on and off the court and the captains and coaches are allowing them time to solidify them. 

There’s only so much time they have together after all.

“Ugh, stop it,” Hinata whispers to himself. He doesn’t like getting lost in his head, trudging through negativity. He’s usually so positive so he’s not sure why this mood won’t flit by like all the other times it shows up. He glances at his arm again and knows he’s sad because he missed his soulmate. What if they never get close enough together again? What if that was his _one_ chance to meet them and he missed it _and_ the toss which had Kageyama fuming at him yet again? 

What if—

His thoughts come to a screeching halt when the flower, so still and rigid a second before, begins to twitch. Or is it just his pulse? No, it’s moving again, slowly but surely raising its head, as if the sun is rising and its seeking warmth. 

Hinata freezes, unsure if he should try to move towards his soulmate or stay perfectly still. As it so often does, his impatience gets the best of him and he hurries down the hall, away from the bathroom. The flower starts to close again, so he spins around and heads back in the other direction. A petal is beginning to show, bright yellow and Hinata feels tears prick his eyes unexpectedly. 

It’s the first time he can really tell what kind of flower has resided on him since he turned 10: a sunflower. 

Another petal and then another unfurl and his heart is pounding. They’re so close! But he doesn’t hear any voices, so his soulmate is, presumably, alone. 

All the better for their first meeting, Hinata thinks. 

The flower is almost completely open by now and Hinata has no idea where he is, his eyes remaining fixed on the image. There’s a stairwell here and as he takes the first few steps, his flower bursts into full bloom, bright and yellow and so beautiful. Its petals and leaves sway in a breeze only existing in the cells of his body. Hinata lets out a noise of happy glee and looks up, his wide eyes meeting the startled ones of Inuoka Sou.

*~~*

Moments before Hinata’s abrupt arrival on the stairs, Inuoka had been sitting peacefully, needing a break from the rowdy cats who made up his team. Despite his own exuberant personality, Inuoka was not always up, up, up. He, like everyone else, needed moments of quiet, times to catch his breath and clear his head. 

Like now, staring out the windows at the few stars visible in the night sky, feeling soft and just a little melodramatic. 

He still didn’t know who his soulmate was. After dinner, he’d hurried through his shower but instead of returning to Nekoma’s makeshift dorm, he had ended up here, thinking about the person he was destined for and wondering where they were right now. 

Rubbing absentmindedly over the image of the dog on his thigh, Inuoka imagines the softness of the dog’s fur and what it might sound like if it could bark. Of course, that would be annoying. It’s odd enough everyone is born with images imprinted to their skin that came to life as their soulmate neared them, but it would be ten times worse if they made _noise_. 

Sighing, he looks down at the sleeping creature and whispers, “Wake up.” 

He startles when the tails and ears twitch, just like a real dog when they sense something in their sleep. Inuoka’s heart speeds up. Is his exhaustion causing him to see things? No, the dog’s eyes are open now, his head rising up and all in one moment Inuoka sees it jump up, chasing its tail as he hears the thunder of footsteps and a cry of shocked glee. Inuoka looks up, startled to find himself eye to eye with Hinata Shouyou, their usual height difference momentarily erased thanks to his seated position on the stairs. 

Mouth dry and pulse pounding, Inuoka spares once brief glance to his thigh. The dog isn’t chasing his tail anymore, but he’s awake and sitting up, his tail thumping and his tongue hanging out making him look like he’s smiling, pleased with himself.

Inuoka looks back to Hinata, his hand reaching out tentatively towards the stunning flower on his foreman blooming bright, its head seeming to stretch towards his fingers as if they were the source of its energy. 

He supposes in a way they are. 

“Hey,” Hinata says, voice quiet, almost shy but the smile on his face is as bright as the petals on his arm, brighter in fact. 

Inuoka returns the smile. “Hey,” he echoes, gently tugging the hand in his. When had they taken hold of each other?

It doesn’t matter, he thinks, as Hinata steps closer, wrapping his arms around Inuoka’s neck and his own long arms wrap around his waist and he breathes in the scent of his soulmate. As they embrace, Inuoka thinks he hears a happy bark and smells the gentle floral scent of a sunflower in full bloom. 


End file.
